At the end of ‘Justice League’ #5, Earth’s heroes were attempting to work together to stop the threat of the invading godlike being Darkseid. As the battle raged, the heroes were one by one thrown aside by Darkseid. In the chaos, Superman was captured and taken back to Darkseid’s world of Apokolips. Batman rushed through the portal after Superman only to find himself in a world beyond his imagination. It seemed as if, even as a team, the heroes were no match for the power of Darkseid.
As this issue opens, the remaining heroes (Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Cyborg, and Flash) continue to throw their combined might at Darkseid. Wonder Woman uses her lasso of truth and finally gets Darkseid to speak. The heroes want to know why Darkseid has invaded Earth and the only answer they get… “For her.” Meanwhile back on Apokolips, Batman discovers Superman at the mercy of two of Darkseid’s minions, Desaad and Steppenwolf. The duo reveal that Superman was captured to help Darkseid create an army of Supermen.
Of course, I won’t reveal how the heroes get out of this dark spot… but this is the Justice League so you know that they’ll defeat Darkseid in the end. What’s more interesting is what happens after the newly formed hero team brings down the villain. We are treated to some names of other members of the League that will be appearing in the future. We also get a glimpse of DC’s first self-proclaimed “super villain” and, if the familiar silhouette is who I think it is, we’re in for a treat. After the mystery villain arrives, we get a brief aside that shows us Pandora, the mystery lady from last year’s ‘Flashpoint’ that popped up in all fifty-two #1 issues of the New 52. We still don’t get her full story but we get some clues as she has a run in with the Phantom Stranger.
This issue was a wonderful close to Geoff John and Jim Lee’s opening arc to DC’s flashship title. Watching the characters slowly unite as a solid team and become heroes in a world that initially feared them for their powers was wonderful and a brilliant opening to the New 52 universe. Now that the origin story is over, next month, the story jumps forward five years to catch up with the rest of the New 52’s timeline.
Be back in four weeks when we find out what becomes of the Justice League, their mystery villain, and Pandora in the intervening five years.
Verdict: Buy
JUSTICE LEAGUE #6
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS